Each year, as part of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the 10 finalists are given a design challenge. This year’s Material Innovation Challenge, presented in partnership with Humane World for Animals, asked the designers to reimagine their brand through the lens of sustainable and bio-based fabrics.
The designers received a stipend and a recommended list of sustainable materials, and each had to use at least two. The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists, who first met in June, have spent the last few months reexamining their production processes, discovering new materials, and pushing the boundaries of their independent brands. Yesterday evening at the Warren Street Hotel, the group came together once again, this time with the addition of their chosen muses, to present their final designs to the panel of judges composed of Thom Browne, Chloe Malle, Aurora James, Paloma Elsesser, Yumi Shin, Nicole Phelps, Christopher John Rogers, Denise Magid, and Eva Chen. It is always admirable to see young designers constantly reinvent craft, and even more so to widen the possibilities for a sustainable future.
Zane Li and Ayak Veronica, Lii
Photo: Martin Romero
